Improvement in flood-fences



,w. DAVIS.

FLOOD-FENCE.

BIO-182,645. v Patented Sept. 26,1876.

.T F'FICE wmonnsrnjn DAv1s,, oF FAYETTE, MIssou-RI.

IMPROVEMENT IN FLOOD-'FENCES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 182,645, dated September 26, 1876; application filed August 5, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WINCHESTER DAVIS, of Fayette, in the county of Howard and State of Missouri, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Fences for High Water or Floods 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 is a representation of a side view of the fence laid up. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof washed down. Fig. 3 is a transverse section, showing the construction of the parts in detail.

This invention has relation to fences suitable to bottom lands or other places liable to floods or high water; and it consists in the construction and novel arrangement of the iron-rod uprights, their anchoring-blocks, the end-perforated rails, and the braces, as hereinafter shown and described.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A designates the iron rods which support one end each of every panel of the fence. These rods are of wrought-iron, round rod-iron being employed, of sufficient diameter to withstand the strain. The lower end of each rod is designed to -be passed through a foot-block or anchor, B, and keyed thereto by bending up the lower end of the rod against the bottom of the block, or in any other suitable manner.

When the end of the rod is bent as stated, it may be advisable to form a groove, 0, in the lower surface of the block, to receive the bent end and prevent the rod from rotating, although the resistance of the soil will usually be sufficient.

The block is designed to be set at the bottom of the posthole O, and the earth to be filled in on top of it, as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

D indicates the rails, which are each perforated at one end, as shown at a, and a number of these rails sufficient to form two panels of the fence are strung upon each rod A. E

designates a short brace-rail, also perforated at its end with an oblique slot or hole, I), of

suficient size to admit of the slanting or ohlique position in which the brace-rail is placed when the fence is laid up.

This fence is laid in the manner of an ordinary worm-fence, usually, and much timber is saved, as the rod ends need overlap but very little. The rods are set two panels apart, the rails being laid upon each other in the ordinary way, between each two rods midway, as shown at d in the drawings, so that there is a rod at one end of each panel, while the other end is formed by laying the free ends of the rails upon the free ends of the rails of the adjacent panel alternately, as shown. The braces are then strung upon the rods, above the rails, and placed in the usual oblique position, with their lower ends on the ground, after which the upper ends z of the rods are designed to be bent downward at an angle to the main portion of each rod. All the rails and braces are thus secured to the ground by the anchored rods.

Sometimes it may be preferred to build the panels straight, instead of in a zigzag manner, because of the important saving of material which would ensue. This can readily be done with this fence, as each panel would be mainly supported by its rod, requiring only at the free ends of the rails a temporary brace on each side. 7

In case of an overflow, the rods, being anchored by the blocks at their feet, will hold in the ground, and not be drawn up.

If the rods are bent down, the rails and braces will be held from being washed away 'by the bent ends of the rods.

In ordinary flooding the piled free ends of the rails, between the rods, will wash apart and swing around, each rail upon its own rod, until it is in the direction of the current. After it has subsided, these corners can be easily piled up again. The iron rod, although strong and tough, offers but little resistance to the force of the waters. Whatever be the direction of the current, there is no obstruction which will prevent the rails from swinging around to the same direction.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The flood-fence consisting of the end per forated rails D and braces E, provided with oblique slot 12, the foot-blocks B for the bothereunto subscribed my name in-the presence tom of the post-holes, the iron-rod'uprigh'ts A, of two witnesses. V I and their end bends or fastcnings, to secure the foot-blocks, and the rails which are piv- H I WINCHESTER DAVIS. oted, each at one end, to the rods, substan- Witnesses: tially as specified. i THEO. F. WO0DS,.

In testimony tha;t"I clai-mtheabo've I have A; M. MAJOR. 

